City of Wilmington Economic Development deserves a Healthy Community too: Neighborhood Medical Home

William Hicks Anderson Community Center longs for economic development
and resources for an redevelopment. The Neighborhood Medical Home aims
to improve the community’s health by improved access to social and vocational
services in the center. My vision is to get this once thriving community, now
blighted and sick, back on its feet. Real estate development is happening all
around the city which includes a $45 million investment in a bike trail on the
Riverfront, a $100 million Governor Printz development project, a $10 million
project to re-locate the Rodney Square transit hub, a $20 million new Baynard
Stadium and a $65 million state bond for real estate developers. As an
alumnae, I even watched in awe as the University of Delaware allocated $180
million to build a biotechnology center. The university, however, was not

interested in investing resources to support access to quality primary specialty

care in a ‘One Stop Shop,’ which was something that I advocated for.

Delaware citizens are sicker than most average states, with higher rates of

chronic disease (obesity, heart disease and diabetes) in part driven by poverty,

food scarcity, homelessness, underemployment and violence. Our state is

consistently ranked among the states that spend the most on health care, yet

have poor outcomes. Independent Primary Care Practices once a mainstay to

help reduce healthcare costs are at risk of closing up as administrative costs

become unbearable. Without changes and investment in primary preventative

care, it is estimated that Delaware’s total health care spending will more than

double from $9.5 billion in 2014 to $21.5 billion in 2025. Transferring $3 million

dollars to this project would pay for the new building construction and would

create three full-time city employee jobs who would have health insurance, a

pension, sick and vacation time and union representation. As the legendary

music icon and activist James Brown sang, Get Up, Get Into It and Get

Involved. We can do this! To find out more information about the Beatty Place

project go to www.tovacommunityhealth.org or call the Mayor’s or the New

Castle County Executive’s office.

Dr. Nina Anderson, Chief Editor

Jay Cooperson, AIA, Cooperson Associates

TOVA Community Health
Primary Specialty Care for the Whole Family
#tovacares

Primary Specialty Care

www.tovacommunityhealth.org

302-429-5870 ext. 120